Breathless
by ImpossibleJedi4
Summary: Dipper's first date with Wendy doesn't exactly go as planned... Wendip, based on what is apparently a true story!


**AN: Well, hey I'm back, hehe… Sorry for not updating Dealing in Danger or Hopes Come Crashing Down for a while! They're not dead! I promise!**

 **Anyways… I'm not writing tragedy this time! I found this amusing story on google when I was looking for funny stuff. It was from 'medical professionals tell their craziest stories' or something of the like. And this one reminded me so much of Dipper it hurt!**

 **"15 year old boy brought by ambulance from the movie theater thinking he was having an allergic reaction to breath spray. Turns out he had an anxiety attack anticipating his first kiss."**

 **So naturally I had to write this one-shot.**

 **Only difference is Dip will be twelve in this since it takes place during the canon. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

Dipper straightened his shirt and tried to rub out some of the wrinkles. He knew it didn't work like that, but he didn't care.

"It'll be dark in the theater, maybe she won't notice," he muttered. He'd taken an extra long shower, just for the occasion, and made sure he'd chosen a _clean_ pair of shorts and a shirt. Of course, he still wore his vest and cap; those never went anywhere.

He took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. He looked…. Underwhelming. He didn't let that stop him from puffing out his (small) chest and staring at his mirror-self's hazel eyes with determination.

"This is your first date with Wendy. She swore to give you a chance and you're not gonna screw this up."

"Talking to yourself, bro-bro?" came a snickering voice from behind him. He let out a high pitched shriek, before whirling around to glare at his twin.

"Mabel, why."

"Because you're talking to yourself like a dork!" she teased. "At least ya don't have a giant 32-step plan this time."

Even he had to grin at THAT memory. "Yeah, not this time."

After the bunker fiasco, he and Wendy had sat down to talk. They'd talked for hours, like floodgates had opened and the resulting torrent washed away the inhibitions they'd had.

Wendy felt the same way about him, though she'd been too nervous to say so. The memory made his heart swell, how he'd reassured her that he knew the feeling. She'd never actually told someone she'd liked them, apparently; guys had always just asked her out and she'd agreed.

"It's almost 2:00, you better not keep your lady waiting," Mabel said, batting her eyes from where she was sprawled on her bed. "And remember, I'm gonna want alllll the juicy details! Hand holding, blushing, the whole nine yards. Specially if there's any _smooching_ involved."

"Mabelllll," Dipper groaned. He didn't really want to give all the details of his date to his sister, but she wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't. "Fine! Fine I'll tell you."

"Woohoo!" Mabel said, pumping her fist in the air. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

With one last chuckle and eye roll, Dipper left the room.

* * *

They were waiting in line for tickets to see _Space Battles Installment I Remastered: The Spectral Irritation_. Sometimes they needed a break from the B-list movies, and Wendy knew Dipper loved _Space Battles_. Truth be told her brothers had gotten her to enjoy it too, so this would be fun.

She looked at the much shorter boy next to her, who was fiddling with a pen, spinning it over and over…

"Hey dude, stop worrying," she reassured for the millionth time, patting his shoulder. He looked up and smiled.

"Sorry, this is my first ever date," he said. "Plus, like you've told me, it's my job to do the worrying out of the two of us."

"I know I know," she replied, sticking two fives on the counter before Dipper could pull out his wallet. She also cut him off before any noise escaped his open mouth. "I'll get the tickets, you get the snacks. 'Kay, Dip?" She grinned.

"… That works!" he agreed. After receiving their tickets, the couple walked into the lobby and went to stand in the line for popcorn.

"Okay, Wendy, I have $10, so we each get five to spend," he informed her, pulling out the two bills. He kept one clutched in his fist and held the other out to her. She took it, but kept her fingers wrapped around his, wiggling them until their fingers were threaded together around the five dollar bill.

She winked. He gulped and turned bright red, large green-gold eyes wide and very, very surprised. His heart rate sped up even more, birdlike. Wendy could feel it in the hand she held.

"Dork," she said quietly in an affectionate tone, tapping his shoulder lightly with her other fist. He gave a very bashful smile back.

They ordered as many snacks as their money could buy, Wendy carrying a massive tub of popcorn and Dipper looking rather… _Puffy_ , as various bags and boxes of candy had been crammed in all his vest pockets.

"Wait," he said suddenly. "We have 5 minutes, maybe we should take a bathroom stop first so we don't miss any of the movie?"

"Good idea, dude. You go first, then I'll go and you hold the popcorn." He nodded, zipping through the nearby door.

Yes, he had to pee, but he'd remembered part of his (not written down, not official, and not containing 32 steps) plan.

After washing his hands, he pulled out a small green bottle of what said MINTY BREATH SPRAY on the outside. He knew it was only the first date and thus extremely unlikely that he was going to get a kiss, but… Be prepared, ya know? Also Wendy might enjoy herself more if he didn't have bad breath. (He didn't _think_ he did, what with brushing his teeth right before fixing his outfit, but you _never know_.)

So after a little trial and error, involving a splatter of green liquid on the mirror which he messily wiped up, he squirted the contents of the bottle once into his mouth, wincing at the intense taste.

A few moments later, he trotted out of the bathroom.

"There ya are, Dip! Was starting to get worried some kind of sewer monster got you." She laughed and handed him the popcorn tub, a handful suspiciously missing. He laughed along and she tapped the brim of his cap before going into her restroom.

Dipper's heart sped up further.

* * *

The popcorn was half gone, as were the candies. As was the movie; they'd just gotten past the one hour mark.

And Dipper? He felt halfway _weird_. Almost… Dizzy? Every time Wendy glanced over at him, his stomach gave a weird little jump and his brain clouded further.

He was also sweaty and itchy but he just chalked that up to being Dipper.

Things were going great, though! They'd been enjoying themselves immensely, laughing and gasping along with the other theater patrons. There has been that one jumpscare he always forgot about, during which he had clung to her arm and shrieked, but… Ignoring that.

He reached for another handful of popcorn when he felt a warm shoulder against his. Well… More like an upper-arm to his shoulder, considering the height difference.

Wendy was gently leaning against him, looking very comfortable. He gazed up at her, and she looked down, eyes meeting, smiling…

The dizziness increased by a greater magnitude than before, causing his eyes to unfocus. He felt almost sick, and his breathing was starting to feel unnatural.

Something was wrong.

* * *

Wendy looked down into the eyes of her nerdy date, grinning.

He was so much more… Alive than the other guys she'd dated. He was enthusiastic and funny and braver than he believed. And he wasn't pushy or a jerk. It was rather the opposite; he got pushed around altogether too much.

And the looks he gave her made her feel special. He really did adore her. And she loved the little guy back. Okay maybe it wasn't that same sense of adoration yet. _Yet_.

But it was something and she was proud of acting on it.

Wait… Did his eyes seem a little… Vacant? And why was his breathing uneven?

"Dip?" she hissed. "Dipper, are you okay?" Strange breathing in response.

She set the popcorn on the ground, then promptly scooped him up and strode from the theater. Once they were outside, she set him down so he could sit, leaning against the wall. He was heavier than she'd expected.

"Hey Dipper, please, tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me." Green eyes worriedly searched his hazel ones.

When he first realized what was going on, he died a little inside at the thought of admitting to Wendy that he'd been anticipating a kiss and used breath spray. Quickly he realized he'd soon be dead _outside_ too if he didn't tell her about what seemed to be an _allergic reaction_.

"I used… Breath spray," he gasped out, eyes wide. "Think I'm… Think I'm allergic…"

Her eyes widened in horror as well and she whipped out her phone, trying to not get distracted by the wheezing noises her crush was making as he struggled to breath.

"911? Thank god, my date is having an allergic reaction to breath spray and I don't know what to do!" She paused. "O-okay. We're at the Cinemaplex on Beaver Street in Gravity Falls, you can't miss it," she said, giving the operator directions for the EMTs. "Thank you. _Please hurry._ "

She hung up the phone. _Keep him breathing_ , the operator had said. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered, and she glared at them as she crawled forward and sat next to Dipper, putting one hand over his clenched and clammy fist, arms touching wrist to shoulder. She really wanted to hug him close, but he needed to breathe. She help up two fingers to his neck to check his pulse. Too fast, much, much too fast, seemingly getting worse at her touch.

She suppressed a sob.

 _Please Dipper… Please be okay._

* * *

The ambulance came for them exactly seven minutes later, the longest seven minutes of Wendy's life. She focused on the rattling gasp of Dipper's breathing, ready to do something if it changed at all.

When the EMTs pulled up and gently lifted him onto the bed-with-wheels thing she didn't know the name of, she let out a relieved breath and climbed in after him.

"We've gotta get him to the hospital and look at his records… We don't know if anything we do can make it worse."

So another seven minute ride, she thought, and she took Dipper's small hand in hers. He weakly squeezed back as they put an oxygen mask over his face, then he squeezed his eyes shut out of fear.

"You're gonna be fine," she said quietly. "Everything is gonna turn out perfectly fine. I promise, Dip."

She could've sworn she saw him smile.

Once they reached the hospital, everything became a blur. Time dilated as she saw her poor date wheeled away behind closed doors and she couldn't follow. Stuck in the waiting room, she felt nauseous with worry and panic.

 _Is this what Dipper feels like all the time? This crippling, mind-numbing anxiety? Over_ everything?

She felt bad for her friend if this was the case. He tended to jump straight to the worst case scenario, always worried someone was dead if they hadn't shown up for a few hours, or hated him after a small fight. Exactly what she was doing at the moment. But really… _What would she do if he died_? She had no idea, she felt lost just thinking about it.

No, Dipper Pines wasn't allowed to die on her watch.

She checked her watch. 38 minutes since he'd been wheeled in. 39… 40… 41…

The doors opened. She whirled to look at the doctor, only to see… Dipper? A nurse? What? And the boy looked _extremely_ pink, but otherwise fine. She rushed over and scooped him into a huge hug.

"What happened, man?! Are you okay?" She looked up at the nurse, who looked almost like she was… Trying… Not to laugh? Confused, she pulled back and looked into Dipper's eyes. He looked deeply and completely embarrassed, almost shameful. But he cracked a smile and let out some nervous laughter.

"Um, it wasn't an allergic reaction…"

"Yeah, so what was it?" she asked, still worried. He groaned and facepalmed, squeezing his eyes shut, then opening one a bit to look at her.

"I… Had a massive panic attack because I thought you were gonna kiss me."

The shock showed on her face, but then, after a beat, they simultaneously began to laugh.


End file.
